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Section 508

The Alternate Media Office at Berkeley City College was established in 2001. Its function is to ensure compliance with the basic guidelines provided for Section 504 and Section 508 by the State Chancellor’s Office in 1999. Section 508 states that all information and electronic technology available to students must be available to students with disabilities. Section 504 encompasses accommodations for total and equal access. Specific compliance is addressed with the establishment of the following five protocols at the Berkeley City College campus:

production of all printed materials in an alternate format to include Braille, large print, electronic text, audio files, and tactile graphics

assistive technology

adaptive equipment

web accessibility

distance education accessibility

closed captioning

These protocols address the specific needs of students who are blind, have low vision, hearing impairments, learning disabilities, and mobility issues. The following sites offer information about Section 508 and list the ten most commonly asked questions about how its mandate is to be implemented.

Section 508 Outside the Classroom

To accommodate our students with disabilities, the following steps have been taken to ensure compliance with Section 508.

Braille signs have been posted at all classroom doors and offices.

Tactile maps of Berkeley City College are available for blind students.

Financial Aid Forms and Guides are available in Braille and Audio.

All printed materials, such as class schedules, catalogs and department flyers, are prominently labeled with the statement shown below:

Important Note for Students with Disabilities

This material is available in an alternate format upon request.
Should you need further accommodations, contact Programs &Services for Students with Disabilities at (510) 981-2812.

The Library at Berkeley City College has a omputer station available with adaptive software. It also has a CCTV. In addition, it offers a monitor for viewing videos with the closed captions turned on. All library handouts are available in alternate formats. The Library only purchases closed captioned videos and the older collection of VHS tapes is being replaced with captioned videos.

The offices of Admissions & Records, Transfer Center, Assessment, Financial Aid and DSPS have printed materials available in alternate formats. Notice of this service is posted.

Informational material for students about Alternate Media are available at the DSPS Office on the 2nd floor, Room 261.

Section 508: Policy and Procedures for Printed Materials in Alternate Formats at Berkeley City College

Providing students with access to all printed materials in alternate formats is a most important function of Section 508. The printed materials covered include textbooks, syllabi, handouts and exams used in the classroom. In addition, all college wide information such as catalogs, schedules and flyers are included, as are all application forms in the various offices such as Admissions & Records and Financial Aid.

Section 508 and the Faculty

The mandates of Section 508 are wide and varied. Providing information about how the faculty can recognize and be in compliance with them is an ongoing process. Listed below is some of the information we provide to our instructors throughout the year.